The Waterfall
by ShiningCadenza
Summary: What happens when Italy pushes himself too hard during training and gets injured? Who will save him? GerIta fluff 3


"Ve…*huff*…ve…*huff*" a lone Italian panted as he sprinted increasingly fast down the path. Or, at least, he wasn't alone until now. He gave it his all to try to impress his training partner, Germany. _Today's the day... that I'll run faster than Germany when I'm not in retreat! Ve~! _Despite the fact that his entire body felt like it was burning, Italy kept dashing through the forest, leaves whipping his sweat-covered face. Unfortunately, the speed that he was running at made it almost impossible to see where he was going.

Right before he could slow down and catch his breath, the poor Italian felt a foreign object ram into his foot. The man fell forward at a rather awkward angle. A sharp pain was emitted from his ankle, and a loud shriek escaped his mouth. Large tears rolled down his face and he sat with his knees to his chest. A voice in the back of his head kept trying to reach Germany, hoping the German could save him. "G-Ger-r-m-man-nyyy…" He panted in between sobs.

"Where did that idiot run off to this time?" a certain German wondered as he thoroughly searched through various clusters of trees. Britain wasn't anywhere near the area, so why did he run so quickly? That mere thought caused the German to stop for a second and think. "He's really improved, hasn't he?" the German sighed. The mere thought that Italy had ran that fast with no apparent motivation was like a miracle. Before turning around to continue his search, Germany let a quick grin show on his face. However, the grin quickly turned into a frown as he heard a painful-sounding yelp come from the distance. Immediately, he recognized the voice it was coming from. Sprinting towards the direction of the noise, Germany soon came upon the sight of the Italian crying his eyes out.

Rivers of tears kept flowing nonstop out of Italy's chocolate brown eyes as he gazed at his foot, which was still covered with his boot. He was too afraid to even look at the injury. A faint rustling sound came from behind him, and before the Italian could react, he felt a large gloved hand rest on his shoulder. Italy jumped a little before turning around and seeing the face of a clearly concerned German. "Italy, are you hurt?" Germany asked quietly. The Italian used all his strength to turn his body around and rest his injured foot in front of the German. "S-si..." Italy quivered, pointing to his left ankle while stray tears slowly eased down his cheeks. Germany reached out his arms, resting one under the Italian's knees and the other around Italy's back. He gently yet firmly scooped the Italian solider up. Surprised at first, Italy just stared at Germany dumbfounded, but once he was fully in the German's arms, he wrapped both arms around the German's neck for support. "I think we've done enough training for today," Germany softly whispered. "Let's go home."

After a few minutes of steadily carrying the Italian along the path, the pair stumbled upon the sight of rushing water. "Ve~ look Germany, it's a waterfall~…" Italy mused, his throat slightly hoarse from his recent crying fest. Germany strolled over to the sight and sat down in front of the protruding river with Italy sitting on top of him.

Italy leaned into Germany's chest and quietly hummed. Suddenly, he felt a tapping sensation on his left boot. He glanced over to see that Germany was trying to remove the boot. "V-ve? W-what are you doing th-that f-for?" questioned a shivering Italian. "Italy, how can we treat the wound if we can't even see it?" Germany's cold, sharp blue eyes were locked onto Italy's. Not muttering a single word, Italy carefully grabbed one end of the boot, Germany gripping the other. Slowly and steadily, they guided the leather boot off of the Italian's calf until the 'battle scar' revealed itself.

The Italian's thin ankle was swollen and throbbing on one side, with a rusty red spot in the middle underneath the skin. Italy froze in horror and frightfully shielded his eyes. "W-wah! Germany, is it over yet?!" the Italian man squirmed uncomfortably. The German simply rolled his eyes and gently shifted his friend's injured ankle into the cool water. "Ve?" Italy uncovered his face and stared at the submerged foot. "Does it feel better now?" Germany asked. "Si, a little…" replied the normally bubbly one. At the moment, though, he was rather calm. The soft rippling echoes of the water created an aura of peaceful serenity, one that both of the soldiers enjoyed.

"Ve~ It's so tranquil and beautiful, Germany~"

"What? I didn't even know that 'tranquil' was in your vocabulary!"

"Hehehe, silly Germany, I'm not a bambino!"

"Are you completely sure about that,_ Italia_?"

Italy softly giggled and once again wrapped his arms around Germany's neck. The two men attached their gaze to each other for a few moments. A soft, warm, sweet feeling started to run through both of their veins. What was happening? Germany brushed some of Italy's hair out of his face and stroked his cheek, causing the Italian to blush a bright pink. They stayed like this for a good minute before snapping out of it. Another sharp pain erupted throughout the Italian's ankle, causing him to double over in pain. "O-owie!" Italy flinched. Germany helped Italy retrieve the wet foot out of the water and examined it. "Well, you definitely sprained it," the German observed, grabbing the lone boot and coaxing it onto the bare foot. He positioned Italy in his arms, carrying him once again.

"Ve? Are we going home?" questioned the confused Venetian. "Ja," replied the 'captain'. They quietly resumed their lengthy walk home, both baffled about the heart-pounding sensations from earlier. Germany soon realized the Italian was intently staring up at him. "What is it, Italy?" inquired the German. "Grazie, Germany, for helping me get home~" Italy smiled, creating a nice shade of pink on the German's face. Once again, they found themselves staring deep into each other's eyes. Without thinking, sparks of electricity jolted throughout their bodies as they brought their faces closer together…

Bam. Their lips softly touched each other. This was a new feeling for both of them; they weren't even dating. Italy was being supported by the back of Germany's neck as he enjoyed the gentle peck. Germany had never kissed the Italian before, and he was surprised at the soft feeling. After 3 seconds, they pulled away and looked away from each other, embarrassed. That is, until the Italian decided to break the silence. "Ve, Germany, I've known you for quite a while, a-and w-we've been through a lot together, and I like you a-a lot, a-and all I have to say i-is t-ti amo." Germany, taken aback by Italy's love confession, widened his eyes. "J-ja, Italy, I-I feel the same w-way, ich liebe dich," Germany blushed. Italy had never been so happy in his life, and a huge grin appeared on his face. "Oh yeah, and good job on your training today. I'm genuinely impressed. Just don't strain yourself so much next time…"

"Alright! Got it, Captain!"


End file.
